1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a computer system of higher security, and particularly to a computer system mainly using an IC card which can store application programs in a non-volatile memory.
2. Description of the Related Art
An IC card (or a smart card) comprising a CPU (Central Processing Unit) in an IC chip is expected for use in various fields because it has sophisticated information memory capability and actualize higher security. Recently, the introduction of the IC card is positively considered in various field including the financial field such as electronic money.
A card OS (Operating System) in which a plurality of applications can be installed safely on a card is generally used. As the OS corresponding to these multi-applications, xe2x80x9cMULTOSxe2x80x9d by Mondex International Inc. is well known. For the IC card corresponding to a multi-application to be managed by the OS, cooperation of a plurality of applications, for example, cooperation of electronic money and a point system (a system in which point having the worth as money is added depending on use of card, and it may be exchanged later with cash or items), is now discussed.
On the other hand, a service is actually introduced for the shopping at a fast food shop, in which when a person makes shopping, he/she is given a game of a paper card (for example, a scratch card) and he/she can get a giveaway depending on the result of such game. A type of a game is diversified, for example, from a simple scratch type game (silver mask is removed to read characters written on the surface) to the game to which a quiz is added. Moreover, a kind of a public lottery is also generally introduced, in which a person purchases a game sheet by payment and he/she can get prize money depending on the result after removing the scratched area.
In regard to the field of the game, a system is formed and is now attracting much attention, in which a participant solves the interactively given game and the quiz on the network represented by the Internet. His name is listed in the ranking managed by the server, or he/she can get a prize depending on the result. In this system, quizzes and game patterns are stored on the server via the network and moreover lists of a question history of a participant, points and results are generally provided in the server.
The IC card corresponding to the multi-application explained above is now at the introduction stage. As the first application, it may be used as electronic money to which security is mainly considered. However, it is not used sufficiently because it is not yet introduced into ordinary users and the card is rather higher in cost than the magnetic stripe card used as the ordinary credit card. In order to sufficiently introduce such a new card system, it is very important to stimulate curiosity of users to xe2x80x9ctry to usexe2x80x9d the card and offer convenience for positive use of the IC card system.
On the other hand, in the sheet type game, there is no problem when the prize or item to be exchanged are rather low prices, but when a result of the game can be exchanged with the high price prize or goods, possibility for alteration and forgery must be considered. Moreover, in the case of games in which object of the game is placed not only to simple stationary data but also to pattern of the game, hitting possibility dynamically changes depending on amount of money in an application, the date, the time or the complicated calculation capability is required, a user may be very much interested in such games, widening the possibility of such games.
In an electronic game via the network, the user cannot enjoy the games if he/she is not in some way connected to the network and when the prize and item given by the game are higher in amount of money, a certain kind of fear for malicious mischief occurs in the security of information on the network.
Based on the disadvantage of the three related art examples of the IC card corresponding to a multi-application, a sheet type game, and a game on the network, the present invention proposes to overcome the disadvantages of these examples by the installation of the application which may be controlled widely as a game as an application of an IC card.
According to the present invention, a game is distributed to users depending on the application of the card, and users can enjoy the games installed on the IC card in which electronic money and the point system have been installed. Therefore, depending on the result of the game, points having the monetary worth are added and finally such points may be exchanged with the prize or goods. Here, it is also possible to consider the system in which monetary worth obtained as a result of execution of the game is reflected in direct on the electronic money without combined with the point system.
A game is usually diversified into various kinds of games but here according to the present invention the xe2x80x9cgamexe2x80x9d is defined as xe2x80x9can object which has possibility for obtaining different results depending on operation by the user, and the results are not previously known by the userxe2x80x9d.
In the existing IC card application in the electronic money and the point system, the user makes payment for a certain item as the exchange, points are added on the card depending on use of the card or the points may be exchanged with money or an item based on the predetermined rate. In this case, the distributed value is equivalent in a series of distribution and it is never changed in the expected rate depending on luck or manipulation of the user. On the contrary, since it is essential for higher security that the value is equivalent in a series of distribution, safe operation of card may be assured in place of money. However, in the game system xe2x80x9cwhich has possibility for getting different unexpected results for the userxe2x80x9d defined above, the total of values dispersed on each card does not always become equivalent to the total of values issued from the operation side and therefore there rises a risk, depending on the method of operation, for resulting in unexpected over use of the value and loss in the system operation side. Therefore, a system which cannot be found in the existing IC card application is required to introduce the game application into the IC card system.
The system which cannot be found in the existing application can be listed, in more practical, as xe2x80x9cthe game pattern which has been once executed by the user cannot be executed for a plurality of times under the recognition of the userxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cthe system operation side can dynamically control distribution of expected valuesxe2x80x9d. In regard to the former, it is considered that the game pattern which has been executed once by the user can immediately be invalidated (deleted in more practical) to prevent execution more than once, and a game execution history data is stored on the card and generation of the game pattern to be loaded to the card next is controlled based on such history data. In regard to the latter, it is considered that history data stored on the card, execution result data on each user and history data on point exchange can be managed as game management data and parameters for game issuance by the system operation side can be dynamically controlled based on such information. Therefore, the users can execute the game which cannot be expected previously and thereby illegal act based on forecasting of the solution can be prevented. Therefore, the system operation side can roughly detect distribution of values in the current system as a whole and can also prevent large loss in the system side by dynamically controlling various parameters of the game.
Therefore, the following eight goods may be listed as means for implementing the present invention. First, as means in the IC card side,
(1) Game of the type having game pattern:
A game pattern to obtain the result through comparison with user input is stored in the memory of the IC card and result is determined by comparing this game pattern and user input depending on the predetermined algorithm. The game pattern which has completed reference is immediately invalidated. The user should not be allowed to know previously this game pattern. Therefore, this game pattern is encrypted in many times and is loaded from an external terminal or generated in the card. Moreover, it also has the function for making comparison with log data on the preceding processes at the time when the game pattern is loaded from the external terminal to control the loading of a pattern.
(2) A game of the type having no game pattern and obtaining the result from user input timing:
Execution right data indicating how many times the user can execute the program is stored in the memory of the IC card. Within the range where the execution right exists, the result is determined by the predetermined algorithm which assures different values depending on the user input timing. Upon completion of execution, the execution right data is reduced.
(3) A presentation to the user of a intermediate process of the game:
When single execution of the game is formed of a plurality of user input, intermediate process of the game can be presented for the user and content of presentation of intermediate process can also be changed.
(4) Points can be changed depending on execution of the game:
Depending on the result of the game execution, points of the user may be changed. This point has the value.
Next, as a personal terminal for processing the IC card,
(5) Terminal manipulated by the user at his side:
This terminal can be connected with an IC card and has the function to present the intermediate process of the game execution to the user and temporary saving of the game pattern.
(6) A shop terminal for transmitting, to the IC card, game pattern, a game parameter and program execution right data:
This terminal can be connected to the IC card and has the function which is administrated by the system management person and transmits, to the IC card, the game pattern required for game execution, various parameters and game execution right.
(7) A shop terminal for collecting the game execution history:
This terminal has the function to collect the game execution log data stored in the IC card on the occasion of sending the game pattern, various parameters and game execution right, etc. to the IC card.
Finally, as the server for system management,
(8) Management server for management of parameters based on the log data:
This server has the function to dynamically conduct management of the game parameters issued on the basis of execution history and other various factors collected from the IC card and shop terminals.